The ship will depart on its seven-night maiden sailing from Copenhagen on Tuesday (1 August), and Antonio Paradiso, UK and Ireland managing director of Explora Journeys and sister line MSC Cruises, said the trade is “priceless” to the line. 

Around 60 agents visited the ship during the trade and media showcase in Portsmouth. Speaking to TTG onboard Paradiso, he revealed he expects to welcome 800 UK and Irish agents onboard in the next three months. 

The UK and Ireland is the line’s second largest market after the USA, sitting slightly ahead of Germany, and around 85% of UK and Irish sales have come through the trade. Paradiso said: “If these are the bookings we’ve seen from agents when they haven’t even seen the ship, I can only imagine what’s going to happen next.”

He continued: “I’ve already seen a lot of excitement and passion from travel advisors simply by looking at images, and I’ve never seen so many people buying into something they haven’t really seen.”

To further support agents, Paradiso plans to increase the size of Explora Journeys’ trade support team from four to six, including expanding the team’s presence in Scotland and northern England.  

Paradiso said when he first stepped onboard Explora I he felt like “a kid on Christmas day”, adding: “I’ve been on a fair few ships in my life, so I can only imagine how the travel advisors are going to feel about it. I’m sure this ship will blow them away.” 

In May, the line launched its Pioneers recognition programme for agents, offering a complimentary sailing to advisors who book at least one journey in the line’s first year. Paradiso said 200 agents have already joined, and he expects membership to reach 500 within three months. 

Explora Journeys took delivery of Explora I earlier this month following a series of postponements. The luxury ship will spend several weeks in Northern Europe, offering a range of different itineraries and will then cross the Atlantic Sea via Greenland to spend the autumn in North America. It will spend the winter in the Caribbean and spring on the US West Coast and Hawaii, before returning to Europe in summer 2024.

Explora II, meanwhile, is currently being built at the Fincantieri shipyard in Genoa, Italy, and will come into service in August 2024.